SITI Networks announce infrastructure sharing with Hinduja’s HITS platform NXTDigital

SITI Networks Limited and Hinduja Group’s Headend in the Sky (HITS) platform NXTDigital have announced a first-ever infrastructure sharing agreement in the multi-system operators (MSO) space in the country.

The move will have two conventional competitors share infrastructure, heralding a new era of collaboration in the digital platforms space. With this move both companies will synergise and leverage their strengths to provide best services to SITI’s customers.

This move is in line with SITI’s strategy of enhancing its operational efficiencies and providing high uptime and quality services to its customers across the country. Financially, this move will help SITI pare its connectivity costs and bring down its subscriber acquisition costs for new customers in some existing markets. SITI will leverage the HITS infrastructure to deliver its signals to its local cable operators (LCOs), thus providing its services to semi-urban and rural subscribers while also expanding its footprint across the country through satellite.

For this integration NXTDigital’s platform as a service (PaaS) vertical has worked with SITI Networks’ team to ensure testing and full compliance in using the already deployed technologies and systems of SITI, such as subscriber management, conditional access, and above all, using the existing set-top boxes to provide services with the HITS platform wherever required. For this integration NXTDigital’s PaaS vertical has worked with SITI Networks’ team to ensure testing.

Commenting on the tie-up, Vynsley Fernandes, managing director & CEO, NXTDigital Limited, said, “We’re happy that SITI Networks, arguably India’s biggest and progressive MSO, has chosen to work with us, sharing our HITS infrastructure to deliver their services in markets where conventional connectivity remains a challenge. Need of the hour is to consolidate strength and this move is a right step in that direction. Our Platform as a Service (PaaS) vertical is a right step in this direction and we are sure this tie-up with SITI will be landmark in the industry.”

Meanwhile, Anil Malhotra, CEO, SITI Networks Limited, said, “SITI has been focusing on enhancing its operational efficiencies. With the government approving Infrastructure sharing in our domain, this tie-up with NXTDigital is a natural progression and helps us overcome the difficulties of a terrestrial network in some markets through the Headend In The Sky (HITS) approach. Reduced costs coupled with focus on operational efficiencies will help improve our customer experience. We do believe that more such infrastructure sharing options should be evaluated as it forms an integral part of the government’s Digital India strategy and would help in the spread of other services like broadband to the last mile faster.”